Successful Work Life Balance With Flexible Working Hours

work-life-balance

I thought that this would be a good continuation of last week’s post. We talked about why persistence is key for your business when giving up is not an option. One of the first points that I had listed was about the importance of taking a break. I found this quote about taking rest and fell in love with it.

“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop”.  – Ovid

So, today I want to talk about not just taking a quick break but scheduling flexible work schedules and offering flextime. There are many benefits to flextime and it helps create a work-life balance. Continue reading

How Mentally Strong People Run the World

mentally-strong-people

Mentally strong people run the world. They are leaders, innovators and market creators. This is because they control their emotions, how they think and how they behave. It is this control that usually makes them successful in life and business. So what do mentally strong people do to climb the mountain of success?

10 Things that Mentally Strong People Do

1. Move On From Mistakes

When you are focused on a goal you don’t have time to feel sorry for yourself. We are all human and are going to make mistakes, but the biggest mistake we can make is dwelling on what went wrong. Examine it, make a notation so that the mistake is not repeated and move on. The time you spend feeling sorry for yourself is time you could have spent on a new venture.

2. Take Control

Ok, so maybe some would consider mentally strong people to be controlling but someone has to take the reins and steer. Once a mentally strong person has established that they are in control, they are often hard pressed to relinquish it to someone else. In order to have control over others you must first gain control over yourself and your emotions. This will alleviate the use of excuses which will gain the respect of those you manage and respect is an important aspect in any business relationship. Continue reading

Core Marketing Techniques That We Can Learn From Disney

As I was scrolling down my Facebook feed I came across a cute photo of my friend’s daughter. She was dressed up in a cute glittery princess outfit for her birthday. The theme for her birthday was inspired by Disney’s movie Frozen. I haven’t seen the film and even though it was released this past holiday season (almost 6 months ago) I can tell you that I’ve come across the something Frozen related several times. Actually, this happens every time a Disney movie is released. Even if you are like me and don’t have kids running around all day, each time Disney releases a movie you’ll hear about it in some way or another. So, it got me thinking and researching. What lessons can I learn from the way Disney movies are made and advertised? Can I apply them to my business?

disney-princess

What I learned is that they haven’t really done anything out of the ordinary or pulled any marketing tricks. What they have done is use familiar core marketing strategies that have worked for them time and time again. Continue reading

How to Launch a Successful Publicity Stunt Like Placing a Mustang Atop of The Empire State Building

Ford-Mustang-on-Empire-State-Building

Did you see the Mustang on top of the Empire State Building? Just this past week Ford Mustang pulled off a very successful publicity stunt. To celebrate their 50th anniversary they introduced the new 2015 Ford Mustang on top of the Empire State Building. They strategically placed a car onto the observation deck of the landmark building just like they did 50 years ago.

Talk about a captivating new product launch! The car seemed to have appeared out of nowhere the morning of April 16th and the news was all over it. Spectators and journalists where packed onto the deck cheek to cheek like a pack of sardines to see new vehicle.

It took well around six months of planning to get the car to the top of the building. Since a crane cannot reach the heights of the 102-floor sky scrapper and since King Kong wasn’t available, the car had to be taken up in pieces. It was taken up in six pieces by elevator. As soon as the observation deck closed the night before the Mustang team worked overnight to assemble the vehicle onto the corner of the observation deck.

The Mustang sparkled atop the Empire State Building for two days commemorating the 50th anniversary of their debut at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

How can you plan a successful publicity stunt of your own?

Helpful Tips When You Want to Launch a Successful Publicity Stunt

Strategic Planning

Planning for a successful publicity stunt takes time. Make sure that it is well thought out. Think about the product or service you provide and what makes it most attractive. You want to target the right audience at the right time with the right promotion. If it is going to go off with a hit then the time needs to be put into it before hand. Like the Ford Mustang appearing on the top of the Empire State Building overnight, a publicity stunt may appear as it if happened instantly but in reality a lot of planning was in place behind it.

Create a Budget

A publicity stunt can be costly. If you budget yourself correctly then you can achieve it at a low-cost. However a really good stunt may require an extra investment. It’s up to you to make sure that you plan accordingly so that you can get the best return on your investment. Also, be sure to include a custom giveaway within your budget to really drive your marketing message home.

Promote the Promotion

Start promoting before the actual stunt. No need to reveal your plan, however, you can start with a few hints. Try to peak the interest of your audience so that when it does happen they can’t miss it. Be sure not to give out too many details and spoil the surprise.

Consider Your Reputation

Make ethical decisions. The purpose of a publicity stunt is to call attention to your brand. Make sure it’s positive attention. The last thing you want to do is to do something so outrageous that you end up hurting yourself instead. While planning make sure you get the right permissions and permits to perform.

Don’t go crazy or go crazy! It’s up to you how far you want to go with a successful publicity stunt. It may be as simple as dressing up in costume and standing along the highway or it can be as spectacular as placing a care atop of a skyscraper. There are so many possibilities.

What will your next stunt be? What are some of the most memorable publicity stunts that you have ever witnessed? What are your thoughts about Ford placing a Mustang on the Empire State Building?

A Sweet Way to Stand Out and Get Noticed!

beyond-ideas-cookies

I’m not complaining, but there is always that one person who likes to bring leftover baked goods into the office. You know what I mean. For example, around any holiday while you are trying to be “good” at every turn there is another treat calling your name? Well, this clever designer used the irresistible temptation for baked goods to her advantage. Continue reading

Why Companies Trademark Everyday Words

glass

Have you read the news that Google has been trying to trademark the word “glass”? They have already trademarked “Google Glass”, however, they were turned down when they tried to register “glass”.  The US Patent and Trademark office determined that a patent on the word “glass” would be too confusing because glass is used as a descriptive word. Goolge is not giving up just yet.

I found this to be a little funny and interesting. It made me wonder about the importance of trademarks. We hear about trademark battles between big corporations and other companies or sometimes in other countries all the time.

If you don’t know what Google Glass is check out this video. This video is like a virtual of how it would feel to wear the device. It will also help you understand why they would want to trademark the everyday word “glass”. Glass is used as a command while using the device.

Continue reading

The Importance of Packaging

surprise-packaging

I recently decided to order something off my website for my own personal use. When the popcorn popper arrived, I couldn’t wait to open the box. I was happy to see that the product had its own box. However, when I opened the box, there were no directions. Do you pop the corn in the microwave?  With the top up or the top down?  How long do you pop the corn? This irritated me and I thought “so what do my customers think?” Then I decided to randomly order products just to see how they were packaged. You see, I go to trade shows for my trade and reps come by to display their wares but this made me realize that the one thing I don’t see is how the products are packaged. Continue reading

A Winning Online Plan

knitting-dollar-sign

Before you read this blog please note it is not about knitting.

After 21 years, I decided to get back to my hobby of knitting. My vision was an old lady sitting in a rocking chair. Well, have I been out of the loop! The average age group of knitters today is 35-45 years old. It has become a huge business. I must have been under a rock. When I was knitting yarn came in balls. Now it is sold in bats which is unspun yarn or in large skeins where you have to make the balls. People are dying their own yarns. There are trade shows all the over the United States and the turnout is amazing. Continue reading

Ways to Make Your Mornings More Productive

The morning is not always the best time of day for me. On a good day, I find that I am more focused, energetic, happier, an all around more productive person. But most days it takes me a while to wake up and get the blood flowing. We have all had those mornings that were so counterproductive that it affected the rest of our day. For example, you’ve run out of toothpaste or you spill your coffee. Little things like this can affect the start of your day and place a negative damper on the rest of your day. The morning is comprised of several hours but it seems as though what happens during the first 15 minutes you are awake could be an indication of how your whole day is going to turn out.

morning routine

Brainstorming is a major component to creative marketing but it is hard to come up with fresh and innovative ideas if your mind is clouded by what transpired before you even start working. We can’t always control what will happen and low-value work can throw your day off course.

So what are ways to make your mornings more productive? Continue reading

Using Technology to Promote Your Business and How it is Influenced by Our Youth

Want to know the impact of technology on our society in the future? Take a look at how younger generations interact and engage with one another these days. Think you are technically savvy? Well, so did I until I had a conversation with my niece. By the time we got off of the phone I felt like I had been cast in The Flintstones Meet the Jetsons. There is no disconnect between younger generations and technology, their mobile phone is like an appendage.

I love this video because as you can see if you try to continue to use outdated technology then it’s perceived as just…. boring! Our future, our kids don’t understand it.

Having an understanding of social media, technology and our youth is essential for your business to prosper.

Changes in Technology

Technology and our youth have changed the way you should promote our business. With the invention and mass production of Smart TVs, tablets and phones that do everything but cook dinner, a regular commercial on television is less likely to been seen by a teenager than an ad on Twitter which has the potential to reach millions of customers a day because 95% of 12-17 year old Americans are on social media every day. For many big name companies their target demographic is changing to customers under the age of 30 and they are finding new and inventive ways everyday through social media and technology to grab their attention. Social networks can reach an unprecedented amount of people in a short time and for a fraction of what you would pay for a TV commercial. Continue reading